My Cat Is Positive Companionship and Helps My Mental Health

This is not the first time I’ve talked about my cat affecting my mental health on this blog, and it will not be the last. I’ve struggled with writer's block as of late, but writing about my cat is very easy because he makes me feel happy, and I feel that there’s so much I can talk about regarding him. He is probably the thing that helps me the most when I am feeling down because he is always there for me.

How My Cat Helps My Mental Health

One of the things I like the best about having a cat is he is always happy to see me and be around me. Whenever I return from being away for an extended period of time, he is always at the door, meowing and acting excited about me being home. And even when I’ve been home all day just hanging out on my couch, he sits on the side of the couch, sleeps, and lets me pet him.

I know that he doesn’t think about it in these terms, but he is always such a positive force to be around. That really helps me – something I’ve realized is that if you are mentally ill, being around people who are overly negative is not ideal. This is much like how people who have a drinking problem shouldn’t hang out with people who drink to excess; mentally ill people should try to be around people who are positive so as to not get them in an overly negative headspace. This is not an issue with my cat, as whatever happens, he always seems grateful that I am around.

Get a Pet for Your Mental Health

As someone who has had my cat for about three and a half years, I cannot recommend it enough for anyone who is anxious or has any other kind of mental illness. It is a tradeoff, in a sense, since having to take care of another living thing is, by its very nature, an anxiety-provoking process. Even so, the companionship you gain from having an animal with you is absolutely worth it.

You’ll always have someone to play with. You have someone to talk to even when nobody else is around. You have someone to pet and snuggle with when you’re feeling down. All of these things are such powerful anchors in my life that it’s hard to describe how important they are. Knowing that, whatever happens, I’ll come home to an animal who will always be happy that I’m there is such a positive feeling.